July 2011 – Makin' it Mo'Betta

The cell phone “discussion” continues…

Kim

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of for . All opinions are 100% mine.

Some may call it an argument, but I prefer to think of it as a spirited mother-daughter discussion. Number One is all “I really need a cell phone. I really think it’s time.” And I’m all like “I’m still thinking about it”. She’s all “what’s there to think about? I’ll be responsible! Everyone else has one!” And I’m like “GO CLEAN YOUR ROOM!” (because I throw that in whenever possible) and “!” See – very mature, calm, uhmm…debate.

Kids have no concept of how much things cost! In researching various cell phone options, I’ve learned a lot. One, the hubs and I are paying WAY too much for our current cell phone service! I couldn’t believe it when I looked into Straight Talk, and discovered that we could cut our cell phone bill more than half! Of course, we weren’t smart, and are currently tied to a contract, but with Straight Talk there is no contract, no surprise billing charges, no credit checks (if that should be a concern) and they have great nationwide coverage. Also, they provide phones from the same reputable companies that we currently use, such as Samsung, Nokia, LG and more. They have for way less money.

Straight Talk offers monthly plans to fit all your cell phone needs, including Unlimited Monthly Service for $45, which includes calls, text, web, and picture imaging. There is an “All You Need” plan that includes 1000 minutes, 1000 texts and 30 MB of web data. I’m not sure even my tween would need more than 1000 texts! What is it with kids anyway? It used to be that you would at every opportunity…but now, it’s text text text. My child will send me messages on the computer from another part of the house! Unlimited texting is probably a must! They actually provide a plan that allows for unlimited calls, text, picture imaging and web for an entire year, for $499. Now, that sounds like a lot at first, but I know for us, we spend that on our current cell phone plan in just a few months. I don’t know about you, but I’m sold – . We definitely need to switch when our contract is up.

Check out this commercial – I kind of feel like this guy, knowing how much we can save!

I don’t have the need for international calling, but there is also Straight Talk International Long Distance Service, which is a flexible prepaid calling service that allows you to call internationally from your home, office or cell.

Furthermore, the phones are affordable, some low as $10, and you can get all the “bells and whistles” if interested. I have to admit, I’m pretty attached to my smart phone, and glad to know I wouldn’t have to give that up! If you want to hear some actual Straight Talk customer testimonials, check this YouTube video out…

Now, I have to go text someone. And clean my room.

Pickles, pickles and more pickles!

Kim

I know I’ve mentioned a time or two ~~hundred~~ that I was overflowing with cucumbers and zucchini. Sadly, all the plants have died 🙁 However, I tried to make the most of my ‘harvest’. We ate cucumbers everyday, and I made 3 different batches of pickles. Yep, 3 different recipes, b/c I’ve never made pickles before and I didn’t know which one was best. So, I thought I’d give y’all a little recap….

I made spears and slices. Much love to whoever invented the food processor. And my sister, who is the original owner of above processor.

For my first pickle making attempt, I went the easy route…! (Again, from my sister. Everyone needs an awesome little sis like mine!)

cukes and a few banana peppers all ready to go

After their ‘water bath’.

Am I the only one who gets excited to hear those little popping sounds of the jars sealing? Yeah, I’m a nerd. These pickles were very good! They stayed nice and crispy, with a good dill flavor (I’m not a sweet pickle fan). They are a little salty…but they are dill pickles. My daughter loves them and ate an entire jar in one sitting. Hypertension anyone?

For the 2nd go-round, I got a little braver. I wanted to make sour pickles, but was not interested in the whole fermenting thing where they have to sit for days, etc. Even though from what I’ve read/heard, that is the best way to make pickles. I went with a recipe I found online….

from Cooks.com

25 medium cucumbers
1/2 gallon cider vinegar
2 cups water
1/2 cup canning salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup mustard seed

Wash cucumbers and slice lengthwise. Pack into jars.

Combine vinegar, water, salt, sugar and mustard seed. Bring mixture to a rolling boil.

Place a canning funnel into jar. Fill to within 1/2 inch of jar top with boiling vinegar mixture. Adjust caps.

Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Remove to a draft free place to cool using a jar lifter.

Yields about 8 pints. Submitted by: CM

Verdict? I love them. They are not the best sour pickles I’ve ever had, but they are nice and sour and crisp. And they were pretty simple to make. I’ll be saving this one to make again next year.

3rd go round…I wanted to try a recipe using pickling spices and fresh dill. (Fresh dill was not easy to find around here. Note to self – grow dill next year!)

I went with the Dill Pickles from Ball Blue Book of Preserving (*which I keep mentally referring to as the ‘Blue Ball’ Book of Preserving – I know I’m going to accidentally say that to someone. And it might be embarrassing.) I found the recipe .

(Yield: about 7 pints or 3 quarts)

8 pounds 4-6 inch cucumbers, cut length-wise into halves

¾ cup sugar

½ cup canning salt

1 quart vinegar (white or cider vinegar, 5% acidity)

1 quart water

3 tablespoons mixed pickling spices

Green or dry dill (1 head per jar)

Wash cucumbers; drain. Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a large sauce pot. Tie spices in a spice bag; add spice bag to vinegar mixture; simmer 15 minutes. Pack cucumbers into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace; put one head of dill in each jar. Ladle hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Price pints and quarts 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. (note: start counting from the minute jars hit the boiling water canner).

Recipe variation: For Kosher-style dill Pickles add 1 bay leaf, 1 clove garlic, 1 piece hot red pepper and ½ teaspoon mustard seed to each jar. Process as recommended.

Verdict – hmmm, I’m not sure about these. They’re okay. I’ve only tried the slices, and they weren’t chilled, but they weren’t crisp, which I didn’t like. The flavor was unique…something like a bread n’ butter with a little more dill flavor – if that makes sense. So, I didn’t not like them, but I didn’t immediately love them either. I’ll have to get some other opinions and let you know.

then I made this.

This has no name and no recipe. This is a mo’betta creation that has yet to be taste-tested. It’s cucumbers, peppers and onions with the leftover brine from the last recipe. It was an experiment. Hopefully it will taste like some sort of edible relish. I’ll let you know!

I was pretty sick of seeing cucumbers after making all these pickles, but now I’m sad that my plants are gone! I hate the idea of buying a cucumber! Of course, I also made ! I’ve yet to try these either, but I was intrigued at being able to freeze cucumbers.

Freezer Cucumbers from

7 c. thinly sliced cucumbers

3 med. onions, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

2 c. sugar

1 c. vinegar

1/2 tsp. celery seed

1 tbsp. salt

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Put in containers and freeze. Great side dish in the middle of winter…just defrost and serve!

I’m linking this post up with , , Mouthwatering Monday @ , , Just Something I Whipped Up @ , at It’s a Blog Party, at All the Small Stuff, , @ 33 Shades of Green, @ For The Love Of Blogs,, , , , , , for Fat Camp Fridays, (currently being held at ), , , , , for Savory Sunday
Also linking up for Canning Week –

Quick & Easy

Kim

That’s today’s Share a Spoon theme over at – quick and easy meals. Because it’s hot. I don’t mean, it’s summer so yeah, it’s hot – or I live in the South so it’s hot & humid – I mean it’s H-O-T. Record-breaking over the 100 degree mark, super hot. So who wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, over a hot stove, heating up the house when the air conditioner is already working to it’s maximum capacity? Not. me. So today’s theme got me thinking…what are some of my go-to quick and easy meals?

The first thing that comes to mind is PIZZA! I think I love it even more than the kids do. It’s so versatile, the whole family likes it, and it doesn’t take a lot of effort. I love a meal that can be easily customized to fit every one’s taste buds. (as picky as some of them are). My go-to crust is one – it’s made in the bread machine which I find super convenient. I’ve also recently discovered pizza sauce….no cooking required, super simple, and so much better than what I was buying in the jar!

Easy Pizza Sauce III from allrecipes.com

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground paprika

Directions

In a medium bowl, Mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth. Stir in oregano, garlic and paprika.

You can’t get much easier than that! Then you can top it with whatever your family likes.

Another super quick and easy meal are quesadillas. They are also versatile and you can fill them with whatever you like. I had some shredded chicken (that had been pre-cooked and frozen – huge time saver!) thawed in the fridge and was trying to decide what to fix for dinner the other night. When I saw the tortillas in the pantry…I decided on quesadillas. Chicken, with a little taco seasoning and cheese for the kids…

and buffalo chicken for me…

hmmm, I sort of overfilled mine! This is just chicken mixed with buffalo wing sauce, cheese and fat free blue cheese dressing. And it’s the bomb. This also makes a good pizza! I cooked our quesadillas in the George Foreman, which worked okay, but a panini press or quesadilla maker would work even better.

OR…if you feel like grilling – which let me just say…I needed a couple of really cold margaritas to cook on the grill as hot as it is –

Beef and chicken kabobs with potatoes, zucchini, onions and peppers (all from the garden!)

They got a little overdone. What can I say, that’s what happens when you drink margaritas while cooking. They were still yummy!

And need some super easy veggies?

No cooking required for this cucumber and tomato salad. It’s just cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers with a little salt and pepper, red wine or balsamic vinegar and drizzled with olive oil. Mix together, and let sit in the fridge for a little while so the flavors can ‘marry’. Very fresh and easy summer dish.

Or, if you feel like turning on the oven, roasted green beans are super easy and a very good way to eat your beans!

So those are a few of my quick and easy meals. What are yours? Link up with !

(not so) Wordless Wednesday – Southern Style Sweet Tea

Kim

Southern Style Sweet Tea

Bring 4-6 cups water just to a boil.
Remove from heat and add 2 family size tea bags.
Let steep – depending on how strong you like your tea…I usually let my sit for 30 mins to an hour. (I like my tea strong!)
Add tea to 2 quart pitcher (minus tea bags of course)
add water to fill pitcher
add sugar or sweetener of choice (I use Stevia) – Other than brewing, this is the most important step to making tea the ~~right~~ Southern way. Tea must be sweet enough for you to say “damn, this is sweet!” but not so sweet that you say “ughh, this taste like syrup”. It’s a fine line.
If you use sugar, I suggest about 3/4th cup. You can go as low as 1/2 cup, but you are getting into Yankee territory there. You can also go as high as 1 cup, but that’s pushing the syrup tasting boundary.
With stevia, it depends on the brand. I am currently use NuNaturals NuStevia Extract – which is pure stevia and only requires 1/4 teaspoon to sweeten an entire pitcher! Awesome.
Lemon is optional, but recommended. That hint of lemon goes well with all that sweetness.
Mint is also optional, but a tasty addition.

Now you are ready to beat the heat – Southern style!

**Sun tea is also an acceptable method of making tea. Instant tea is a sacrilege, only to be used in cases of extreme emergency.

My 10 year old wants a cell phone!

Kim

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of for . All opinions are 100% mine.

It seems that everywhere you look nowadays, kids are talking or texting away on cell phones. Of course, my 8 & 10 year old want to be in that group. Especially my 10 year old. “All my friends have one”, she says. She happens to be right! Every kid I see at Girl Scouts, the pool, etc, have phones! So, I’ve been giving it some serious thought. Does she need one? Is she old enough to handle the responsibility? I had heard about TracFone, with no contracts, activation or cancellation fees, or credit checks. I really like the idea of no contracts or extra fees. As a matter of fact, TracFone offers the most affordable way to use and own a cell phone in America. Check out these discussing their experiences and you’ll see it’s true – no surprise bills – which definitely offers a parent piece of mind when handing over a cell phone.

Of course, not only do I want a cell phone to be affordable, it needs to be reliable. I want to feel confident that if my child were to need to use the phone in an emergency, that it would have a good coverage area and reception. This YouTube video shows discussing the reliability of their phones. TracFone actually has great nationwide coverage as well as brand name phones from leading manufacturers like Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and others. You also have the options of simple “Candy Bar” phones to Bluetooth enabled “Smart” phones. This makes me feel good about the reliability and quality we would receive with a TracFone. (you can see more discussing the great coverage!)

So, what kind of plans do they offer? Well, pretty much anything you need. You can pay as you go online or with cards available from thousands of retailers across the country, get one year service cards – which is a great deal offering double minutes for the life of your phone, and 800 minutes for only $119.00! It’s seriously making me reconsider my current cell phone plan. They have other plans ranging from $9.99 to $30.00 based on your needs. There are also international calling plans, so there is something to fit everyone’s needs.

In addition, the phones are not expensive! If you are just looking for a basic phone for calling and texting, you can get one for under $10!! This is great, considering how often my children lose things! However, if you are interested in a phone (maybe for yourself!) that has all the bells and whistles (app capabilities, camera/video, web access, etc.) you can get those for $29.99. Check out this YouTube video discussing all of the !

In my opinion, TracFone seems like a great option to consider when I finally decide whether or not it’s time for my daughter to get a cell phone. What about y’all? Do your kids have phones? What age do you think is appropriate?

More from the Bridal Luncheon

Kim

Weekend before last was all about new beginnings. I attended a beautiful wedding of a young couple, watching them join their lives together. This weekend was about endings. My 88 year old grandfather passed away late Thursday night, and we layed him to rest yesterday. It’s always hard to be reminded that with life, comes death.

However, I do not want this to be a sad post, I want to share more from the luncheon I posted about last week, when I shared the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies! We all know food makes me happy. I did not take many pictures of the food (I know! Crazy!) but luckily, there were a couple of other bloggers in attendance 🙂 As I’ve already posted, we had little mason jars filled with the cookies as favors. For appetizers, we had tartlets,

( Picture these with pimiento cheese!

pimiento cheese with crackers,

, and very good recipe!

and (my sister’s name for them)….these have been around forever and were a last minute addition to the apps, and I have to say they were a huge hit! They have different names all around the web, and some people wrap them in different kinds of meat, but essentially it’s some form of meat (we use dried beef), layered with cream cheese and wrapped around a pickle, then cut into bite size pieces. We do love our pickles.

Beverages – lemonade, sweet tea, and peach mimosas – yum!

photo by

And the main event – my mom’s chicken salad (it’s her own special recipe that I’ve been unable to duplicate), pasta salad with fresh veggies from our gardens, (with the addition of fresh basil and balsamic vinaigrette instead of plain balsamic vinegar), BLT’s on mini croissants with basil mayonnaise. It was all delicious!

photo via

My beautiful sister holding our .

We added mint to our kabobs and had chocolate sauce for drizzling.

And last, but not least….a classic

Served with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh blueberries! Of course, I dumped some chocolate sauce on mine 😉

It was a lot of fun and putting this post together has made me seriously hungry!!

Dark Chocolate, Bacon, and pictures!

Kim

Oh yeah. I went there. You knew it was only a matter of time. However, I did it for a good cause. My mom, sister and I hosted a Bridesmaid’s Luncheon last Friday for one of my sister’s best friends. When discussing the menu options, I found out that one of the bride’s favorite foods is BACON! Of course, my mind immediately went to dessert options….cupcakes with bacon, cookies with bacon…and we decided on these fabulous . I just made a few substitutions and BAM! Yummy, scrumptious, sweet’n’salty combo!! Yes, it really is good. Even after baking over a hundred cookies, and possibly consuming an unheard of amount of batter, I still wanted to eat them the next day.

Jars and photo by

My sister made these adorable little favor jars, which we filled with the cookies, and used them as favors and place card holders. They looked really cute on the table. I thought my mom did an excellent job with the tables. I loved it, but blue and white are my passion. You know, next to chocolate.

photo by

The luncheon went very well, the food was fantastic, and the weather was perfect. My parents live on the water, so it was nice to be able to enjoy the gorgeous view and walk outside. The cool front moved in just for the wedding weekend! It has moved right back out again…over 100 degrees yesterday, and just as hot or hotter today. Yowza.

So the recipe already!

Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies slightly adapted from allrecipes.com

6 slices maple-cured bacon, chopped *you can use this or candy your own bacon

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup softened butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder *I used 1/3 cup Hershey’s Dark Cocoa and 1/3 cup regular cocoa

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks *I used 1 cup dark-chocolate chips. I didn’t want to overpower the bacon and 2 cups of dark chocolate when have been ~~fabulous~~ too much.

Directions

1.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble.

3.Beat the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy and smooth. Stir in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the chocolate chips and bacon. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

4.Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Let stand 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

I’ll do another post next week of the other foods from the luncheon. Since I was busy ~~eating~~ performing my hostess duties I didn’t get many pics, but I can share some recipes!

Y’all have a great weekend! It’s gonna be HOT!

I’m linking this recipe up with , , Mouthwatering Monday @ , , Just Something I Whipped Up @ , , at It’s a Blog Party, at All the Small Stuff, , @ 33 Shades of Green, @ For The Love Of Blogs,, , , , ,, for Fat Camp Fridays, (currently being held at ), , , , , for Savory Sunday, , , (Ingredient Spotlight: Cocoa), (Ingredient Spotlight: Bacon)

Homemade Cinnamon Wheat Bagels

Kim

I’ve been wanting to make my own bagels for a while now. Why? I have no idea. I just have this compulsion that anything that I can buy in the store, I can make at home and it will taste better and have less crap in it. “Crap” being preservatives and artificial stuff. As a general rule, this is true. Homemade stuff does usually taste better and is better for you, b/c you control the quality of ingredients used, and don’t add all that ‘stuff’ to prolong shelf life, etc.

I also have an uncontrollable desire to eat carbs. Lots and lots of carbs. I love to bake bread, and the only reason I don’t do it more often is b/c I eat so darn much of it! If I buy the store bought loaf bread, I can resist, but a homemade loaf…it’s history. So anyway, in my quest to conquer the world one carb at a time, I decided to try my hand at bagels. They seemed really difficult…with all the boiling and baking, etc. I’m not into cooking stuff with a bunch of steps. (No, I’m not ~~that~~ lazy, I just have to be realistic. It’s very hard to do a lot of in depth cooking while taking care of three children. and a dog. and a house. and a garden….) What? Where was I?! Oh yeah, bagel making…

I looked around for a recipe that seemed simple for the bagel making virgin…and found one in my newest cookbook

Bread Machine Bagels

2 T. granulated sugar (1 T. for plain bagels)

1 t. salt

3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 T. honey

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 t. cinnamon (omit for plain bagels)

1-1/2 t. instant or bread machine yeast

1. Add sugar, salt, water and honey to the bread pan. Spoon flour on top of liquid. Add yeast.

2. Select the Dough cycle and press Start.

3. When the cycle is finished, transfer dough to lightly floured surface and punch down gently. Divide dough into 6 (*I made 8) pieces. Roll each piece into a 10-inch rope. Pinch the ends of each rope together to form a circle. Place on prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and preheat oven to 350 F.

5. Using a slotted spatula, lift each bagel and plunge into boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes, flipping over halfway through, then return to the baking sheet, placing bagels 2 inches apart.

6. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a bagel registers 190 F. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Variation – Cinnamon Raisin Bagels: add 1/4 cup raisins

They are tasty with my Salted Dark Chocolate Almond Butter!

What I learned….these are kind of a lot of work, especially for just 8 bagels! They were very good, but pretty much just like store bought. My husband really liked them, and he rarely eats carbs, but he made an exception for these. I’ll try my hand at making them again but I want to make a larger quantity and experiment with different recipes. Also, the method of rolling the dough into a long roll then bring the ends together did not work as well as just taking a ball of dough and punching a hole through the middle with your thumbs. The ends that were pinched together came apart in the boiling water. I’m sure this is due to my inexperience, but I’ll stick with the other method I think. So anyway, something to check off my baking bucket list! Pretzels are the next thing I want to try 😀

I’m linking this up with Share a Spoon. Today’s theme is carbliciousness. Okay, so I totally made up that word, but head on over and check out the carb wonders. We’ll go Atkins later. (or not) Or you can check out my roasted or bacon wrapped green beans.

One year ago Mo’Betta posted: Pesto Pasta (more carbs!)

Wordless Wednesday – Canning 101

Kim

You really do need to make sure your jars are still warm before placing them in a boiling water bath. oopsies.

Roasted Green Beans

Kim

I know I just posted Bacon Wrapped Green Beans, but when the garden is producing…well, you gotta cook it, can it or freeze it! I tried freezing green beans from my garden last year, and they were disgusting. I don’t have a canner, so I can’t can them (you are not supposed to use the ‘water bath’ method for low acidic items like green beans. Botulism. Not good.) So, that leaves cooking them (and giving them away!). Thankfully, most of the house likes green beans, and when they are roasted like this, they are pretty darn good. This is also another recipe from Jessica at . What can I say, she makes veggies tasty.

Roasted Green Beans from

1 lb fresh green beans

drizzle of olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Add green beans to a bowl and drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on them. Mix with your hands to coat each green bean. Lay them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping once during cooking.

They aren’t the prettiest things in the world, but they are very good! The roasting brings out the sweetness of the green bean, and they get a little crisp. I can’t believe I was just shoveling them in like french fries. No, they don’t taste like french fries, but they are quite yummy. You know, for a vegetable and all.

One year ago: Healthier No Bake Chocolate Cookies (with almond butter)